Joseph R. Kaz is a dynamic young composer established across the Eastern United States. With performances by ensembles such as The Metropolitan Wind Symphony, The Catholic University of America Wind Ensemble, The University of Tennessee at Martin Marimba Choir, The University of Memphis Marimba Choir, The Ithaca College Wind Dectet, the Ithaca College Contemporary Ensemble, The Ithaca College Chamber Winds, and the Catholic University of America Symphony Orchestra, Joseph’s music covers many genres and fields. In competition, Joseph's music has won many prizes including the Jack Downey Composition Prize in both 2012 and 2013, the 2010 Texas Orchestra Directors Association Composition Contest, the 2014 Ithaca College ACDA Choral Composition Competition and the Metropolitan Wind Symphony's North American Composition Competition. Joseph has participated in many masterclasses conducted by esteemed composers such as Steven Mackey, David Rakowsky, Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon, Carlos Sanchez-Gutierrez and Pulitzer Prize Winner Melinda Wagner.

A composer primarily focused on the creation of new operas, Joseph's first opera The Song of Solomon, was premiered by the Ithaca College Light Opera in 2013. Other recent performances have included a semi staged reading of the opera Alice Flagg at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC and a full production of the work at the Winyah Auditorium in Georgetown, SC, and a third production of the work at The Catholic University of America.

An advocate for music education, Joseph maintains a robust teaching schedule, and has presented composition workshops and written for many public schools and youth orchestras. Such ensembles have included the Ithaca High School String Orchestra, the Boyton Middle School Concert Band, and the Long Bay Youth Symphony.

Joseph received a Bachelors of Music in Composition from Ithaca College, and his Masters in Composition from the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. Joseph's primary teachers have been Dr. Dana Wilson, Dr. Sally Lamb-McCune, Dr. Jorge Grossmann and Dr. Andrew Simpson.

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